Public Speaking

108 CHAPTER^8 Choosing Supporting Materials

Quote Sayings, Proverbs, and Words of Wisdom

Every culture provides a store of sayings, proverbs, phrases, and other wise words that

encapsulates culturally important ideas, beliefs, and values. They come from literary and

oral traditions, from well-known and anonymous sources, and from philosophical and

political treatises. Here are a few examples:

•   Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope of a cure.

(Jane Austen)

•   Examine what is said, not the one who speaks. (Arab proverb)

•   Judge not, that you be not judged. (Biblical quotation)

•   I am a part of everything that I have read. (Theodore Roosevelt)

•   Scars give you character. (Lamar Odom, “my grandmother used to say”)^36

Religious writings can provide rich sources of material when the audience accepts

the text as valid. The pope, for example, uses the Bible and Catholic teachings in his

speeches; by doing so he affirms his faith’s authoritative sources. However, listeners who

are not Christians, or Christians who are not Catholics, might question one or both of

these sources.

You can access many sayings, proverbs, and wise words on your online component

of this program. Diversity in Practice: Proverbs in African Cultures also provides addi-

tional details about the importance of proverbs in some African cultures.

Think Critically about Quoting Authorities

Look back at the quotations from experts and laypeople relating to therapy horses, and

ask yourself these questions about each source.

1. What is the person’s expertise? For example, what is Peggy Bass’s or Drew Coman’s
   expertise? Is it relevant to the subject under discussion?


2. Is the person recognized as an expert by others? How could you determine the reputa-
   tion of each person?


3. Is the layperson stating an opinion commonly held by others like him or her? In other
   words, is it a typical or representative view? Is each mother’s experience common?
   Or is one or more of the situations extreme?


4. Are the words taken out of context? Because you don’t have the newspaper article
   from which the quotations came, you cannot assess the context for each quota-
   tion. However, whenever possible, ask if the words fairly represent the speaker’s
   intended meaning. Words out of context can be distorted.


5. Is the quotation accurate? Commonly, you’ll hear “Pride goes before a fall”; however,
   Proverbs 16:18 actually says, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit
   before a fall.” If you have serious doubts about the accuracy or origin of a quota-
   tion, check the Quote Investigator online.
   For more information, do an Internet search for the exact words “taken out of
   context” and read several links to identify the effect of misleading quotations.

Find Compelling Comparisons

Comparisons, also called analogies, point out similarities between things. We under-

stand new information or unfamiliar ideas better when we find points of comparison

to something that’s already in our experience. Comparisons can be literal or figurative.

Literal analogies compare actual things that are similar in important ways. For

example, Pakistani speaker Liaquat Ali Khan,^37 addressing the US Senate, pointed out

analogies state similarities
between two things

literal analogies compare
two actual things that are
alike in important ways

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).

Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.www.ebook3000.com